


Transecting Orbits

by TardisIsTheOnlyWayToTravel



Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: F/F, Femslash, Humour
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-27
Updated: 2016-07-27
Packaged: 2018-07-27 01:00:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7597180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TardisIsTheOnlyWayToTravel/pseuds/TardisIsTheOnlyWayToTravel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>“You know, she’s kind of cute,” Jillian told Abby, after the two of them plus Erin had gotten away with the equipment they’d stolen from the institute, and Erin had gone back to her own apartment, leaving Jillian and Abby to ponder their next move at Abby’s place.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>“Who?”</i>
</p><p>
  <i>“Your friend.”</i>
</p><p>
  <i>“Wait – Erin?”</i>
</p><p>In which Holtzmann has a crush, and Erin is more open to this than she's willing to admit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Transecting Orbits

** Transecting Orbits **

“You know, she’s kind of cute,” Jillian told Abby, after the two of them plus Erin had gotten away with the equipment they’d stolen from the institute, and Erin had gone back to her own apartment, leaving Jillian and Abby to ponder their next move at Abby’s place.

“Who?”

“Your friend.”

“Wait – _Erin?_ ” Abby looked dismayed. “Oh, no, no, no! Erin is definitely straight! You can’t go crushing on my–”

“Your–?”

“My best friend from high school and our new colleague, okay? So don’t go crushing on her. It’ll be awkward.”

“I didn’t say I was crushing on her, I just said she was kind of cute.”

Abby gave Jillian a dubious look.

“You think she’s cute? Really?” Abby tried a different tack. “I didn’t think women in tweed were your style.”

“Well, you know what they say, a lady in the streets, a freak in the sheets,” said Jillian, with a filthy grin.

“Oh my God, I do not need to hear this.” Abby looked perturbed.

Jillian grinned to herself. She’d mostly made that last comment to get under Abby’s skin – Jillian thought Erin was cute _despite_ the tweed suit, not because of it. Although, she had to admit, the whole buttoned-up professor-y look did have a certain appeal…

“Seriously, don’t go there,” Abby warned, apparently reading Jillian’s thoughts easily enough.

Jillian busied herself with her work, and didn’t bother to answer.

* * *

Much later, after the paranormal crisis in New York had been very heroically resolved by the Ghostbusters, and the four of them had gone out for celebratory drinks the night after all the supernatural shit had gone down, Jillian asked Erin:

“So you really like Kevin, huh?”

“I don’t – he’s not – I mean, he’s just… really handsome,” Erin said, a little plaintively. “Am I the only one who finds him attractive? You really don’t…?”

“I can’t speak for Abby or Patty, but personally, definitely not.” Jillian held out a hand for Erin to shake. “Holtzmann, card-carrying lesbian.”

Erin shook the offered hand, and only then seemed to process what Jillian had just said.

“You’re a lesbian? Oh.” She paused. “Card-carrying? Really?”

“Sure.” Jillian extracted a card case from one pocket, opened it, and pulled out a business card, which she handed to Erin. “Here.”

“ _While I’m flattered by your offer, you just hit on a card-carrying lesbian,_ ” Erin read aloud. She handed the card back. “Do you carry those everywhere?”

“They save time.”

“Oh.”

“But don’t worry, your virtue is safe with me. Unless of course you don’t want it to be, in which case I’m up for that.” Jillian did something suggestive with her eyebrows.

“Uh–”

“Stop flirting, already,” Abby complained, as she and Patty returned with another round of drinks. “I told you, Erin’s straight as a laser beam.”

“Even light bends under the right conditions.”

“What are they talking about?” Patty asked Erin.

“Uh. Me, I think. Guys, you do know I’m sitting right here?”

“Wait, you mean she…? And you…?” Patty looked like she was having a lightbulb moment.

“ _No!_ ” said Erin and Abby together, louder than was necessary.

“I’m totally straight, actually,” Erin added. “Well, Except for that one time in college, but–”

“That one time in college?” Jillian rested her chin on one hand and gazed at Erin in interest. “Continue.”

“It was only the one time,” said Erin. “Honestly, it was pretty awkward.”

“Imagine that,” said Abby.

Erin looked at her.

“What, you’re straight, of course it was awkward!” Abby protested.

Erin hesitated.

“What?” Abby asked.

“It was also pretty great,” Erin confessed. “Once things got going.” She gave a flustered grin.

Jillian sent Abby a triumphant look.

“But still, it was only the once, right?” said Abby, frowning at Jillian. “As experiences go, it’s a–”

“Outlier?” Erin suggested. 

“Yes, exactly!” Abby waved a finger in Jillian’s direction. “It was an outlier. It’s not indicative of Erin’s general sexual behaviour.”

“Can we change the subject now?” Erin asked.

“Glad to,” said Patty. “Not that I’m judging anyone, but I came here to get some alcohol in me, not listen to your sexual exploits.”

“Amen,” said Abby.

“Fine. Someone pass me a drink,” said Jillian, letting the subject drop.

But she saw the curious, oddly-furtive glances Erin kept sending her, after that, and chalked it up as a win.

* * *

For a long time after that, nothing happened – at least, not between Jillian and Erin.

Things weren’t as busy as they’d been when the Ghostbusters first opened for business, but then, with full funding from the mayor’s office and Homeland Security, things didn’t need to be. Catching ghosts became, if not a side venture, certainly a lower priority than it had been before, with the Ghostbusters pouring their time into further research and hypothesising on the paranormal. 

For herself, although Jillian enjoyed working in the lab, building and refining the designs of new prototypes, there was nothing like being out in the field, actually using the tech she’d built to contain and destroy malevolent spirits.

Abby and Erin, though – particularly Erin – seemed to enjoy their research immensely, so Jillian didn’t say anything. She just enjoyed the adrenalin high whenever she could.

It was on a day when the four of them were heading out to catch a ghost that had been causing trouble downtown when Kevin said, entirely casually, “Will you be back by lunch time? Only you said someone always needs to be here to answer the phone, and I promised I’d meet my girlfriend for lunch.”

“Girlfriend?” said Erin.

“Yeah.” Kevin gave her a beaming smile. “Her name’s Sylvia. Want to see a picture?”

“No, that’s not necessary–” Erin began, but Kevin was already pulling out his cellphone and holding it out so that they could all see the screen. 

“Sylvie set up a photo of us as my phone background,” said Kevin, sounding proud. 

Jillian leaned in with the others to see the photo. A girl of about twenty-five with pink hair was leaning her head against Kevin’s shoulder. Kevin had his arm around her.

“Huh. She’s pretty,” said Patty, and Kevin beamed even further.

“You two look… cozy,” said Abby.

“Thanks,” said Kevin.

They all turned to look at Erin, who was still staring at the photo.

She noticed them looking at her, and gave a sudden, brittle smile.

“Right, well, we should be going,” she said, turning the brittle smile on Kevin. He didn’t seem to notice that anything was wrong. “But I’m sure we’ll be back for lunch.”

“That’s great,” said Kevin.

“Actually, we can’t guarantee when we’ll be back, we don’t know how long it’ll take us to–” Abby began.

“ _We’ll be back_ ,” said Erin forcefully. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be in the car.” She stalked down the stairs, out of sight.

“Wow,” said Jillian. “Shades of the Terminator, there, anyone?”

Abby just sighed.

“Is she okay?” Patty asked, with honest concern. Kevin returned to his desk with the serene air of someone who had no idea of what they’d just done.

“No, I don’t think she is,” said Abby.

They followed Erin downstairs.

* * *

The job was a fucking disaster.

Erin was off her game something serious, and it threw the rest of them off as well. In the end, it was sheer luck they managed to trap the ghost before it caused even more property damage than it had already.

The ride back to headquarters was ominously silent.

Abby, sensing Erin’s mood, wisely didn’t say anything as Erin trudged over to her section of the lab.

Patty nudged Jillian.

“So, that was sure something today. Think we should talk to her about it?”

“Why not,” said Jillian. “I’ll do it.”

“Good luck,” said Patty, and left her to it.

Jillian walked over to where Erin was seated at her desk, staring down at the open notebook on her desk – without, Jillian suspected, actually seeing it.

Jillian sat down on the corner of the desk.

“You fucked up today.” She didn’t bother with tact.

Erin slumped further down in her chair.

“I know.” She didn’t look up.

“Look, you had to know that Kevin wasn’t interested,” said Jillian, because she was genuinely curious as to what was going through Erin’s mind.

“I know, and believe me, I’m aware that things would never work out between us,” said Erin, with a sigh. “I don’t even – I’m not in love with him, or anything. He’s just… really handsome, you know?”

“So just to clarify, you’re not having thwarted heart feelings, but thwarted groin feelings?” Jillian asked.

Erin made a face.

“I wish you hadn’t put it like that, but yes.”

Jillian considered this.

“I hear that sexy times with someone new are a great cure for that particular brand of angst. What do you say, want to give it a try?” 

Erin looked at her.

“We’ve already established that I’m straight,” she said, but she didn’t sound angry, or even annoyed. “Isn’t that a rule for lesbians, not hitting on the straight woman?”

Jillian smiled.

“I’ve always considered rules something to be defied at every opportunity,” she said. “Whether they’re the strictures of society, or the fundamental laws of physics.”

“That probably shouldn’t surprise me, should it?” Erin asked.

Jillian grinned at her. Erin smiled back.

After a moment the smile faded.

“I’ll be okay,” said Erin. “But thank you.”

“No problem,” said Jillian. “And if you ever change your mind, you know my number.”

“I do know your number.”

Jillian gave Erin one last smile before heading upstairs to her workshop.

* * *

From there, the furtively-curious glances progressed to openly speculative ones. Jillian was well-aware of every time that Erin looked in her direction, but left it up to Erin to make the first move.

“Why are you looking at her like that?” Abby asked one time, catching Erin staring thoughtfully in Jillian’s direction.

“I’m not,” said Erin, her gaze darting away. “I mean, looking at who?”

Jillian smirked to herself, and deliberately dropped a wrench. It clattered to the floor.

“Oops,” Jillian said loudly, and bent to pick it up.

“ _Erin!_ ” she heard Abby say, in a loud whisper. “Are you looking at her _butt?_ ”

“Excuse me, I’m going to go and make some coffee,” Erin said, and escaped the room in a hurry.

Jillian straightened up and looked back over her shoulder to see Abby staring at her in open suspicion.

“You did that on purpose, didn’t you.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jillian gave a slow smirk.

Abby turned to where Patty was sitting in the corner, reading a book.

“Patty, did you see–”

“Do not get me involved in this,” said Patty, without looking up from her book. “They’re grown-ass women. They can sort it out themselves. But just for the record, I’m pretty sure Erin is considering banging Holtzy.”

“I need to talk to Erin,” Abby said, and went chasing downstairs after her, no doubt to have a heart-to-heart talk.

Jillian continued working on her current project, and didn’t stop smirking.

“You can wipe that look off your face any time now,” suggested Patty, turning the page of her book.

Jillian grinned, and didn’t reply.

* * *

Jillian had witnessed first-hand Erin’s attempts at flirting with Kevin. They had been about as subtle as a ghost in a china cabinet, and just as clumsy. Honestly, it was a wonder Kevin hadn’t left on the grounds of sexual harassment, except that maybe he honestly hadn’t noticed Erin desperately trying to get into his pants.

Anyway, the point was, Jillian had kind of expected that if Erin began flirting with her, it would be just as much of an entertaining train-wreck as Erin’s attempts at flirting with Kevin had been. Surprisingly, however, it wasn’t so.

If anything, Erin seemed almost shy where Jillian was concerned, unsure of herself and uncertain of how to conduct herself. She hadn’t hesitated with Kevin, but with Jillian…

“Were you serious about asking me out?” Erin asked abruptly one day, when it was just her and Jillian in the workshop. Patty and Abby and Kevin were all downstairs. Erin had come upstairs a little earlier, when Jillian had started playing music as she worked, and the two of them had danced around the room even as Jillian adjusted screws and soldered things together.

Jillian turned off the blow-torch, and pushed up her face mask so that she could see Erin better. Erin was wearing an uncertain smile, fiddling with the tiny bow-tie she was wearing.

“Yes I was serious,” Jillian said. “Whether you’re talking about actually dating or just wild monkey sex, I’m up for it.”

Erin gave a nervous titter.

“I was thinking dating, actually. Well to start off with,” she added, with another nervous laugh. 

“I like a woman who leaves her options open,” said Jillian, with a slow smile. “Hey. Wanna make out?”

“Here?” Erin looked around. “Isn’t that a little dangerous?”

“I thrive on danger,” said Jillian, putting down the blow-torch and taking off her face mask and soldering gloves, before striding over to Erin.

“Oh, well, I don’t think that–” 

Jillian didn’t find out what Erin thought, because she was too busy kissing Erin.

Erin made a startled sound, and for a second she didn’t seem to know what to do, but then her hands came to rest on Jillian’s waist, and a moment later she really started getting into it.

“Hey guys,” Patty’s voice drifted up the stairs along with the sound of footsteps, “they delivered lunch half an hour ago, you should probably – oh. Oh. Okay. I’ll just leave you two alone, then.” Her footsteps retreated.

Erin broke the kiss and started to giggle, and Jillian couldn’t help grinning as well.

A moment later there was a yell of “They’re _what?_ ” downstairs from Abby. Then there was a shout up the stairs: “You guys be careful around the equipment! I don’t want you burning the place down because you were getting it on up there!”

“Thank you for your support!” Erin called back, at the same time as Jillian yelled, “You know how I feel about lab safety procedures!”

“That isn’t reassuring me!”

“It wasn’t meant to!”

By this point Erin had her head bent forward and was laughing into the place where Jillian’s neck met her shoulder. They were still wrapped around one another, and so Jillian turned her head and experimentally sucked on Erin’s neck. 

Erin yelped in surprise, and jumped a little.

“Was that a good yelp or a bad yelp?” Jillian asked.

“Do that again,” said Erin.

“Good yelp,” Jillian said sagely, and got back into the swing of things.

They didn’t actually have sex in the workshop, mostly because Erin said “We haven’t even been on a date yet!” but Jillian considered how far they did get to be a good sign.

* * *

Their first date went well. Afterwards went even better.

Apparently, though, Erin liked to talk in bed.

“I should probably start calling myself bisexual,” she said, after the first time she and Jillian had sex.

“Mmm,” said Jillian, her eyes still closed.

“I mean, obviously ‘straight’ as a label isn’t really applicable anymore,” said Erin. “I’ve now slept with two different women, and the first time might have been an experiment but this time wasn’t, so I really think ‘bisexual’ is a better label for me.”

“Mmm.”

“Are you listening to me?”

Jillian cracked one eye open to see Erin sitting in bed, looking at her. For a second she admired the view of Erin naked, then said, “You don’t actually have to label yourself if you don’t want to.”

“But I do want to,” said Erin. “I feel more secure with a label.”

“Then knock yourself out with the labelling,” said Jillian, closing her eyes again. She wondered if Erin would mind if she went to sleep. “You do you.”

“Are you going to sleep?” Erin asked, after a moment’s thoughtful silence.

“I’m trying.”

“Oh.” There was another moment’s silence from Erin, and the bed dipped a bit as she moved. The next minute Jillian felt a body snuggle up against her own, and an arm drape itself over her waist.

“Are we cuddling?” Jillian asked.

“Yes we are.”

“It’s not uncomfortable.”

“No, it’s not.”

Jillian began drifting back off to sleep. Then:

“Have you had many girlfriends?” Erin asked.

Jillian opened both eyes and looked at her.

“You’re not going to let me sleep, are you?”

“Just answer the question,” said Erin.

“Not really.”

“Why not?”

“Most women think I’m weird,” Jillian answered. She was the type other women took to bed, not the type they brought home to meet the parents. Jillian had long ago accepted that.

“You are a bit weird,” Erin agreed. “But I kind of like it.”

Jillian’s lips curved in a smile. Erin didn’t say anything else, and Jillian was finally able to go to sleep.

It was nice waking up in Erin’s arms the next morning, especially when Erin cooked them both bacon and eggs for breakfast, smiling at Jillian all the while.

Jillian thought that she could get used to this. Even the talking-in-bed thing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> The business cards are a real thing, I saw them on Tumblr somewhere.


End file.
